5 NHL Winter Classic venues we’d love to see in the future
By Marci Rubin
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4. LoanDepot Park (Tampa Bay Lightning @ Florida Panthers)
The next pick on our list is LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida. This baseball stadium is home of MLB’s Miami Marlins. The NHL is exploring having a future outdoor game in Florida, although nothing has been determined. With two NHL teams located in Florida, it’s likely the NHL wants to figure out a way to bring an outdoor game there at some point.
A Winter Classic in Florida would likely feature the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. Once the Seattle Kraken host the 2024 Winter Classic, the Florida Panthers will be one of just three NHL teams that have never participated in an outdoor game. The Panthers did, however, host last year’s All-Star festivities, showcasing Florida as a place to draw fans to.
In recent years, the NHL has shifted away from the tradition of having one of The Original Six participate in the Winter Classic each year. This season’s match-up features the two newest franchises. This opens up more of an opportunity for other teams who haven’t participated before or haven’t had as many outdoor appearances. With the success of the Lightning in recent years and the emergence of the Panthers as a strong team, a match-up between these teams sometime in the next few years would draw an enthusiastic audience.
A roadblock for an outdoor game in Florida is the warm temperatures presenting a challenge to keep the ice cold, and this is perhaps what’s kept the NHL from having an outdoor game there. LoanDepot’s retractable roof and air-conditioning would be useful to combat this issue, although technically, that would make the outdoor game inside and not a traditional Winter Classic. The open wall provides a great view of downtown. Even with the roof closed, it would still be a fun match-up and a cool way to get the Panthers involved in their first Winter Classic or Stadium Series.
The capacity for LoanDepot is 37,000. This is a rather small capacity for an NHL outdoor game, so that would be a downside. A nearby venue, Hard Rock Stadium, can seat over 65,000. However, Hard Rock doesn’t have a roof. These are factors for the NHL to consider. Since the Panthers haven’t had the opportunity to participate in an outdoor game, it’s about time the NHL makes this happen.